The New and Improved Fashion Week

Fashionistas all over are gearing up for one of the biggest events in the world of fashion- New York Fashion Week.

Next week’s runway shows will showcase many prominent designers’ Spring 2011 collections. This debut leaves people speculating… what crazy new trend will have you running for the nearest mall so you can look chic and stylish come Spring? Some of the designers featured include Christian Sirano (former winner of Project Runway), Nicole Miller, Diane von Furstenburg, Betsey Johnson, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. While all of these designers will surely present innovative and provocative fashions, it will not be the only new and improved aspect of this famous event.

Taking a hint from the designers they feature, Fashion Week is revolutionizing their organization and event management. In previous shows, members of the media and guests received hard copy invitations, RSVPed via phone or email and on the day of the show, would wait in horrendously long lines for staff to manually check them in. The process was extremely inefficient due to the magnitude of the event and the limitations of these methods. This year however, NYC-based technology consulting firm Control Group was contracted to digitally enhance the organization of New York Fashion Week.

Launched on August 23, the new website upgrades the press registration and credentialing system to streamline the check-in process. A recent press release states that the new website “grants the ability to electronically send invitations to personal guest lists synced with the event’s registration and credentialing system and enables them to receive and manage RSVPs in real time, access an interactive guest seating program using click of the button tools, automate the distribution of seating assignments and expedite check-in onsite through computerized hardware.” Read more here.

New technology is being utilized the day of show as well. Instead of waiting in a long line to receive your seating assignment, guests will be able to print their assignment at home and walk straight to their seats upon arrival. Additionally, in order to expedite media check-in, reporters and photographers will be able to quickly check in via self-service kiosks.

Vice President of Strategy at Control Group, Lisa O’Neil, states, “These new technology systems will transform the experience of virtually everyone connected to this event. Designers, PR agencies, the media and event attendees will notice greatly improved services, an improved online experience and better, faster information delivery all around.” Read more here.

In today’s society we are all about efficiency and making our lives easier; this technology will prove to be revolutionary and essential for all future Fashion Week events. If attending a fashion show becomes more of a hassle than a pleasure, guests might be deterred from coming in the future…no matter how amazing the fashion might be. By increasing efficiency, there is no doubt that Mercedes Benz Fashion Week will increase its attendance and popularity.

These improvements will surely allow next week’s runway shows to go off without a hitch, so start your countdowns ladies…

Written by: Caitlin McDonough

Old Spice Takes Home an Emmy

In my post “You Have 30 Seconds… Impress me” I discussed several commercials that hit the mark in terms of an effective commercial. One of those commercials was the Old Spice “What Your Man Can Smell Like” campaign.  I felt the use of comedy paired with the gorgeous former NFL receiver Isaiah Mustafa, made it a commercial that would stick in your mind long after watching.

The success of the campaign continues as Weiden + Kennedy, the ad firm behind the genius commercial, received the Emmy for the 2010 Outstanding Commercial at the Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Awards. The Old Spice commercial beat out Snickers’ “Game”, Audi’s “Green Car”, Absolut’s “Anthem”, Nike’s “Human Chain” and Coke’s “Finals” campaign. However, this is not the first win for Weiden + Kennedy; last year the firm took home an Emmy for their Coca-Cola commercial, “Heist”.

Weiden creative directors for Old Spice, Jason Bagley and Eric Baldwin stated that “Winning an Emmy is a surreal experience. It’s such a great honor to be recognized by the entertainment industry and encourages our desire to create work that not only sells products, but entertains people. We’re very honored to have been one of the three Wieden + Kennedy spots nominated. Owning half of the six nominations is a testament to the amazing creativity happening inside the walls of our office, and the talented people and clients we get to work with.” (Adweek). After viewing Weiden + Kennedy’s work, I look forward to seeing more from them.

Weiden + Kennedy is a full service ad agency based in Portland, Oregon with office all over the world. Their clients include not only Old Spice but Coke, Converse, Dodge, Target, Nike and Levi’s.

Written by Caitlin McDonough

A Small Happy Thing

You know how some days you are just lounging around at home and there isn’t really anything to do except stare out the window? And then something funny might happen, causing you to laugh uncontrollably and have tears begin to roll down your cheeks? In a world where stress levels are constantly rising, we all need a break every once in awhile…and usually the funniest or most exciting things come unplanned.

One example of an unexpected pick-me-up is a flash mob. Having recently begun to trend worldwide, these spontaneous, out of the ordinary acts of a group of random people are extremely entertaining. Catching you off guard and well…confusing you, flash mobs make all the stresses in your life suddenly disappear. Who knows…you might even feel the urge to step out of your comfort zone and join in!

On another note, I remember that while at work one day, a day when there were what seemed like a million things to do piled up on my desk, I just could not motivate myself to get anything done – anxiety and stress had built up to the point where it mentally blocked any sort of thought process. Did I have time to go outside for a walk? No, the schedule was too tight…I did not really have much choice so I thought going to grab some coffee might do me well. Unfortunately, when I did, it made me think about the additional calories that I was going to intake, of course causing my anxiety level to increase…probably not the best way to go…

Trying to think of ways to refresh my mind, I stared out through the window aimlessly and saw a cat rolling around in the grass. I did not know what it was about its actions that amazed me, but one thing I do know is that it was amusing to watch it simply rub something off of its back. This got me thinking about silly things animals do out of pure curiosity; whether it is an animal instinct to nab at food or tear apart a cardboard box, these little things can erase the stress lines on my forehead and cleanse my mind.

Take a look at this video – it features a cat whose curiosity in a cardboard box makes you want to smile.

 

Am I suggesting that we all just sit around and wait for things to happen? No, of course not. Continue to go about your days as you normally would, but remember to be observant! You never know when something out of the ordinary might brighten up your day.

Written by Venisse Wu.